Falling
by The Twitcherz
Summary: A small, dry cough sounded from behind her, and Whitepaw turned and stared at the smoky tabby incredulously. [white x smoke] oneshot.
1. Chapter 1

**Falling  
**Oneshot  
Whitepaw x Smokepaw

* * *

Gray clouds covered the sun as heavy raindrops fell down upon a sleek white she-cat, her pelt slick with water. Rain water streamed from her whiskers, and her ears flattened against her head in distaste as thick water droplets dripped into her leaf-green eyes. A golden-brown tabby tom padded briskly beside her on the left, his amber eyes focused intently on a pretty tortoiseshell she-cat. The small white cat twitched her whiskers in amusement; her mentor's affection for Sorreltail was no secret.

On the right, the pungent scent of ShadowClan nearly overwhelmed her, and the white apprentice curled her lip in disgust. They were a Clan of crowfood-eaters and traitors, in her opinion. Although this was the second dawn since the four Clans had decided to leave the forest, the young she-cat still thought ShadowClan smelled vile.

Grief flooded through the ThunderClan apprentice's heart as she realized that she would never see her beloved home again. She would never train in the sandy hollow with Brackenfur, or see Firestar atop the Highrock, his dark ginger pelt glowing like flames in the sunlight. She already missed the feel of the rocky ravine beneath her paws, and the strong gorse walls of the ThunderClan camp. Homesickness swept over the white she-cat like the strong currents of the river they had left behind, threatening to carry her away.

Her thoughts disapeared like fog on a sunlit morning as a dark tabby tom came bounding up to her. His pelt was a dark gray, but the stripes were smoky black, giving his tabby pelt the appearance of smoky rings. Although he reeked of ShadowClan, his yellow eyes glowed with friendliness as he dipped his head politely to her.

"You're Whitepaw, right?" The dark gray tabby mewed, tilting his head to the side questioningly. Whitepaw hesitated, not wanting to speak to the ShadowClan tomcat. All of the apprentices had heard how Russetfur, the ShadowClan deputy, always tried to weasel information out of young ThunderClan apprentices, and the young ivory she-cat was positive that she would train her Clan's apprentices to do the same. Undoubtedly, this ShadowClan apprentice was trying to get her to leak ThunderClan secrets, which he would relay to Blackstar, the ShadowClan leader.

She narrowed her green eyes and kept her gaze forward as she padded wearily on, noticing the dark brown pelt of Brambleclaw mingling with Squirrelpaw's flame-colored fur. When the two ThunderClan cats had returned, Whitepaw had been reluctant to believe their tales of coming doom and talking badgers. But as the Twolegs destroyed the ShadowClan camp, and drew closer to Sunningrocks, their makeshift camp, the Clans had finally believed them, and left the forest.

Just yesterday, the five cats who had returned from the sun-drown place had spoken of a sign at Highstones. A blazing star- the dying warrior that Midnight had promised - had disappeared over the mountains, so that's where the four Clans were headed now. Although, Whitepaw secretly doubted that they would ever get there. There seemed to be more Thunderpaths than ever imaginable. The mountains were tiny jagged peaks on the horizon line, seeming thousands of pawsteps away...

A small, dry cough sounded from behind her, and Whitepaw turned and stared at the smoky tabby incredulously. _Who does he think he is?_ Anger pulsed through her paws, and she lashed her ivory tail.

"Yes," Whitepaw meowed through clenched teeth, trying to keep her calm demeanor. She didn't want to speak with this rude tom. The dark tabby didn't seem fazed by her short reply.

"I'm Smokepaw, of ShadowClan," The smoky gray apprentice added, swishing his gray-striped tail.

_So I've noticed_, Whitepaw wanted to retort, but she remained silent, hoping this annoying tom would go away on his on. She wrinkled up her nose at the pungent scent that came off of Smokepaw's gray pelt in rancid waves. She chanced a look at Smokepaw, and noticed amusement glimmering in his warm golden eyes.

Frustration flared in her as he continued to pad alongside her, matching her pace pawstep for pawstep. _What an annoying cat!_ She tried to quicken her strides, but moons of starvation had taken its toll on Whitepaw, and she soon became too weary to avoid Smokepaw. The smoky gray tabby twitched his whiskers ruefully as Whitepaw fell back into step beside him, her muscles aching from that short burst of excess activity.

"Come crawling back?" Smokepaw purred silkily, his amber eyes dancing with laughter.

"As if!" Whitepaw spat, her hackles raised threateningly. Normally, she was a rather timid and gentle cat, but hunger had made her ornery. Not to mention that since Shrewpaw had died, Spiderpaw had begun to avoid her and pad after Squirrelpaw, although Whitepaw could see his attempts were futile. THe dark ginger apprentice had obviously fallen in love with Brambleclaw on their journey to the sun-drown place. Whitepaw craned her neck and caught sight of Spiderpaw towards the front of the mass of cats. The long-legged black apprentice was trying to edge his way closer to Squirrelpaw. Whitepaw sighed deeply, claws of loneliness clutching her heart like claws. When Shrewpaw had been alive, the brown tabby and his brother, Spiderpaw, had both padded after Whitepaw. The white she-cat knew that Spiderpaw felt he would be betraying his dead brother by continuing to chase after Whitepaw, so he had instead taken it upon himself to ignore her.

"Oakfur is my mentor," Smokepaw mewed, as if she had not snapped at him, and Whitepaw blinked at him in surprise, admiring for once the arrogance in which all ShadowClan cats lived with. Pausing, Smokepaw added, "Who is your mentor? Branchfur or something?" Whitepaw let out a purr of amusement, something she hadn't had the strength to do for a long time.

"Brackenfur," She indicated the golden-brown tabby beside her with a twitch of her snowy-white tail. She was acutely aware of Smokepaw's amber eyes trained on her, and she wished he would go away.

"So who are-?" Smokepaw began to ask her another question, but Whitepaw cut him off with one of her own.

"Why are you even talking to me?" Whitepaw snapped irritably, her snowy fur bristling with tension. Smokepaw blinked, and for a heartbeat she saw genuine hurt in his light amber eyes.

"Talonpaw is padding after some RiverClan she-cat," Smokepaw admitted, his amber eyes narrowed as if he wasn't sure he could confide in her. The ShadowClan apprentice paused, and added, "Besides, you just looked so lonely. I thought maybe we could be friends, and look out for each other on this journey, but I guess I was wrong."

Smokepaw gave her a sad little smile and flicked his ears. He began to pad away from her, his ringed-tail drooping slightly. Whitepaw felt a tug of guilt pulling at her paws, and she called out, "Wait!"

Panting, she caught up to Smokepaw, who was next to a sleek black queen who also reeked of ShadowClan. He narrowed his amber eyes at her, but said nothing as Whitepaw fell into step beside him.

"I'm sorry," Whitepaw mewed earnestly, feeling incredibly guilty for pushing away Smokepaw's attempts to be friends. The white she-cat took her gaze away from her paws and fixed him with an intent green stare, wanting him to know how apologetic she was. Whitepaw hesitated, but added, "I've just been really upset since..Shrewpaw died."

The mere thought of the light brown tabby filled her with pain, and she blinked back the pain she knew was showing in her green eyes. She had begun to like him as more than a friend, but a Twoleg monster had broken his neck, ending what should have been a long and happy relationship. To her surprise, Smokepaw reached out and pressed his muzzle to her ivory flanks, his amber eyes soft with sympathy. Whitepaw was surprised by the warmth of his touch, and she let out a soft little purr.

"I'll look after you, okay, Whitepaw?" Smokepaw murmured softly, his yellow eyes warm. Whitepaw felt her paws burn under the intensity of his amber gaze. Smokepaw added, "We'll get through this together."

"Okay," Whitepaw agreed, her tail-tip twitching in satisfaction. Suddenly, her legs seemed to heavy too move, and she felt her head spinning. Her world blurred around her, colors melting together. She felt a soft pelt brushing against hers to support her, and her white pelt suddenly seemed too hot. Another strong cat came up on her other side to support her as they walked. She blinked her green eyes, and she felt her world come back into focus.

"Steady, now, you're weak from hunger," Came Smokepaw's voice from her left side. She turned her head to face him, and saw concern etched on his face. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine," She replied, breaking eye contact and their tension-filled stares. Whitepaw turned her head to the other side, and recognized the sleek black she-cat who had been padding next to Smokepaw before. Her yellow eyes glinted with amusement as Whitepaw, startled, almost fell over onto Smokepaw.

"I'm Nightwing," The sleek black queen meowed without preamble, her tail-tip twitching with contempt. Flicking her ears towards Smokepaw, she added, with a hint of pride, "I see you've met my kit."

"Your..." Whitepaw didn't quite understand at first what Nightwing was saying. Then she noticed the similarities between the two cats, and realized she should have guessed that they were kin. Both cats were smaller than the average bulky ShadowClan cat, their heads broader and with sleek, well-groomed fur. Their amber eyes were the exact same shade of yellow.

"Yes, my kit," Nightwing meowed, taking Whitepaw's silence as a chance to speak again. Briefly pausing to lick her chest fur a few times, she mewed, "If you're done collapsing on us, I must go speak with Blackstar."

She gave both apprentices a short little nod, and set off at a brisker pace to join Blackstar at the front of the mass of cats. Awkward tension hung over the air between Whitepaw and Smokepaw, and she found she could not meet his amber gaze directly.

"So that was your mother?" Whitepaw mewed, feeling rather stupid as she did so. Smokepaw's whiskers twitched as he stared after the black she-cat.

"Everyone says we act the same," Smokepaw purred, and Whitepaw found herself joining in. Nightwing seemed to have the same sense of dry sarcastic humor as Smokepaw did. The gray-black tabby mewed, "Who are your parents?"

Whitepaw flinched; she didn't want to lie to Smokepaw, but cats from other Clans often looked down on her because she was the daughter of a cripple and a kittypet. She told herself she was being shrewd; both of her parents were proud, brave warriors, and she had no reason to be ashamed of them. She met Smokepaw's amber gaze proudly, her chin lifted in slight arrogance.

"Cloudtail and Brightheart," The ThunderClan apprentice replied briskly, her voice a tone higher because she was feeling defensive. She fully expected Smokepaw to make some kittypet jibe, but he was nodding, not looking arrogant at all.

"They're brave warriors," Smokepaw replied, and Whitepaw felt pleasure prick at her ivory paws. Smokepaw looked up as the Clans began to seperate for the night. His amber eyes looked torn, and he meowed, "I have to go, Blackstar will have my fur off if I don't hurry up. See you tomorrow?"

"Of course, you can't well look after me if we don't see each other," Whitepaw teased him, flicking her tail to his dark tabby flank as she meowed. Smokepaw hesitated, and touched noses quickly with her before turning to pad away.

Amusement made her whiskers twitch as she noticed how bedraggled he looked, water clinging to his smoky-gray tabby pelt. He looked like he had been swimming in the river for moons without getting out. Watching him go, Whitepaw felt a strange new emotion; a happy feeling, slowly filling her heart. She pricked her ears as she heard Brackenfur calling for her, and turned to go join her own Clan, huddled underneath a large tree as lightning crashed overhead.

* * *

Pale gray dawn shone down upon the four Clans, and Whitepaw blinked sleep and water from her leaf-green eyes, rising to her weary paws. Shaking her pelt free of the rainwater, she padded onwards as Brambleclaw and Squirrelpaw joined the leaders at the front of the throng of cats. The two cats exchanged a glance, and started to lead the Clans again. Mud stained their thin ThunderClan pelts, and Whitepaw could see bones beginning to stick out from their striped fur. She felt a sickening sense of satisfaction that Brambleclaw and Squirrelpaw were finally suffering as much as the rest of ThunderClan had while they had been chasing dreams, literally. Immediately, shame washed over her; the fate of the four Clans rested on the shoulders of the two ThunderClan cats. 

Whitepaw's stomach voiced its complaints, but she ignored it. Again, they had not eaten well, but at least there was enough prey for each cat to continue their journey. Whitepaw craned her neck and tried to look for Smokepaw's dark gray pelt, but she could not find him. Her paws prickling with disappointment, Whitepaw fell into step beside Brackenfur, who gave her a curt nod in greeting. His amber gaze drifted away from his apprentice and landed once more on Sorreltail, who was chatted animatedly to Leafpaw. A thin drizzle fell upon Whitepaw's snowy fur, and she lashed her tail angrily.

"Looking for someone?" Warm breath stirred her ear fur, and the ThunderClan apprentice turned her head to see Smokepaw staring at her with amused amber eyes. Completely caught off-guard, Whitepaw bristled her ivory fur so that she appeared twice her size and unsheathed her claws. Smokepaw blinked, the amused look in his eyes strengthening, and the white apprentice flattened her fur to her spine, embarrassed. Smokepaw fell into step beside Whitepaw, his dark gray pelt brushing hers slightly as they walked.

"Good morning," Whitepaw mewed awkwardly, although she didn't really feel that it was. Whitepaw didn't meet his burning amber gaze, only stared up at the sky that seemed to reflect her emotions. Stormy and bleak. Her life was a chaotic storms, and the future of her Clan was bleak. Would she even survive this journey?

"No, it's not," Smokepaw let out a long sigh, his tail drooping. Whitepaw blinked, surprised at the ShadowClan apprentice's open display of emotions. Of all the Clans, ShadowClan was always the most secretive, guarding trivial things close to their heart. The gray-black apprentice's gaze flickered back and forth, to see if his Clanmates were listening, before mewing, "Brambleclaw says we'll get to the mountains in a matter of days."

"So?" Whitepaw questioned, truly puzzled as to why such a small thing would bother the ShadowClan tomcat. "What's the problem?"

"I don't know," Smokepaw sighed, his amber eyes glittering with slight...fear? Whitepaw blinked once, and the fear was gone. Perhaps she had just imagined it. The gray apprentice meowed, "I have a feeling something bad's going to happen. I just don't know what."

Whitepaw was filled with a sudden wave of affection for the smoky black apprentice for showing his feelings, and she hesitantly gave one of his ears a quick lick. He blinked at her, his amber eyes swimming with some emotion Whitepaw didn't recognize. He touched his smoke-ringed tail-tip to her flank briefly, and Whitepaw knew he didn't need words to tell her how grateful he was.

"So..who are your parents?" Whitepaw changed the subject from such a grim topic, not wanting Smokepaw to become more distressed. The gray-black tom gave her a small smile, playfully flicking her with his tabby tail.

"Nightwing's my mother," He mewed calmly, his whiskers twitching ruefully as he added, "You've already met her."

"So who was your father?" Whitepaw asked casually, hoping her green eyes did not betray her curiousity. Smokepaw flinched as though she had struck him. Perhaps she had, though not in places seen by the eyes. His smoky fur bristled defensively and he took a threatening step towards her, his teeth bared and his lips curled back in a snarl.

"I don't have a father!" He hissed through clenched teeth, his amber eyes burning with rage. Whitepaw visibly flinched, his anger like poisonous fangs of an adder striking her heart. She nodded, and the furious light burned from his amber eyes. Somehow his rage made him seem...scary. Smokepaw turned his gray head away from her, the worst of his anger fading, though he did not speak to her for what seemed like ages.

The sky began to darken, and the ThunderClan apprentice realized that behind the clouds, the sun was setting. Whitepaw had to clench her teeth together firmly to stop them from chattering. She could see Smokepaw's frosty breath in the air, and she instinctively pulled closer to Smokepaw, drawing warmth from his small tabby body. The ShadowClan apprentice raised an eyebrow but said nothing, allowing her to walk so closely beside him that their pawprints in the mud overlapped as they padded along together.

A yowl sounded from somewhere ahead, and Whitepaw craned her neck to see Firestar balancing precariouslyon a Twoleg fence, his flame-colored pelt slick with water. Smokepaw stopped suddenly, sitting down to look at the ThunderClan leader. Taking his lead, she, too, sat down, staring up at the dark ginger tom.

"We are sheltering amongst some undergrowth for tonight," Firestar was meowing, his green eyes sweeping across the huddled, wet cats. He added, "Kits, queens, elders, you will sleep in the middle. Stick together for warmth."

Smokepaw rose to his paws shakily and wearily began to pad after the leaders, who took them to some undergrowth. Whitepaw caught sight of Ferncloud and Birchkit huddled next to a long-legged ShadowClan queen with three kits. Smokepaw settled down somewhere in between the middle and the outside, and indicated the spot next to him with a twitch of his ears.

"Shouldn't we stay by our own Clans?" Whitepaw asked the prickly tom hesitantly; she didn't want him to think she didn't appreciate his company. Smokepaw flicked her gently with his striped tail, and Whitepaw again felt the strange burning sensation in her paws.

"Do you think the queens and kits won't huddle together because they're of different Clans?" Smokepaw asked, exasperation in his voice, though his amber eyes glowed with warmth. "Mousebrain. We're friends, it shouldn't matter."

Whitepaw still felt as though she shouldn't be near him, but she didn't want to argue with Smokepaw anymore, and she felt her ivory pelt tingle to think that Smokepaw considered her a friend. The ThunderClan apprentice curled up beside him, exhaustion flooding over her limbs. Her green eyes caught sight of Spiderpaw lying beside Squirrelpaw, though her eyes were focused intently on a dark brown tabby.

"Goodnight, Smokepaw," The white apprentice murmured, her green eyes flickering shut sleepily as she pressed her pelt to the gray apprentice's for warmth. Smokepaw yawned tiredly, his amber eyes shutting tightly. Whitepaw thought he must have been asleep, because it was several long moments before he meowed, "Goodnight, Whitepaw."

* * *

"I hate the mountains," Smokepaw muttered disconcertedly as snowflakes flitted down on his thin gray pelt. Whitepaw's whiskers twitched in amusement as one snowflake fell into his amber eyes and he blinked wildly to try to get it out. The smoky gray tom glared at her with fierce golden eyes, but relaxed a moment later as he realized she wasn't hostile. 

It had been a little over a half-moon since the Clans had left their forest home, and today, they had finally reached the mountains. Whitepaw hadn't had any idea that scaling the frosty peaks would be this difficult. Dried blood stained the fur around her white paws as her claws scraped rock after rock. In half-moon that she had known Smokepaw, his pungent ShadowClan scent had seemed to fade away. Perhaps it was because they were friends, or perhaps it was because all of the Clans seemed to blend together as one, fighting for survival in this bleak time.

Whitepaw glanced over at Smokepaw again, a strong current of affection for the smoky gray tabby rushing over her, and she was surprised by the strength of her feelings. She knew that she could not do this without him, and she blinked fondly at the ShadowClan apprentice, hoping he knew how happy she was by having his friendship on this journey.

"We'll find our way out soon enough," Whitepaw hoped she sounded convincing, but she couldn't help but let a little bit of doubt creep into her voice. Smokepaw narrowed his amber eyes but did not reply, only twined his tail with hers silently, leaving Whitepaw to struggle with her feelings. She felt disloyal to Shrewpaw, but there was something about Smokepaw that she couldn't ignore. Sure, his pelt was smoky gray and not light brown, and though his amber eyes were lighter than Shrewpaw's, it didn't seem to matter anymore.

_But it should. He's from an enemy Clan! _A voice piped up in the back of Whitepaw's mind. Whitepaw pushed away the nagging voice further back into her mind, trying to ignore it. Perhaps there wouldn't be four Clans when they got to the forest. The Clans all seemed to be one, and when Whitepaw looked forward, she saw the pelts of cats from different Clans mingling, as though they depended on each other to survive. The ivory apprentice knew how they felt, as she felt her heart flood with affection again for Smokepaw.

A frustrated hiss sounded from somewhere behind them. Whitepaw swiveled her head around to see a black ShadowClan queen hissing at Russetfur, the ginger ShadowClan deputy. Smokepaw let out a resigned sigh, and the ivory apprentice realized that the black she-cat was Nightwing, Smokepaw's mother. Russetfur looked faintly amused as Nightwing snarled at her.

"I've seen the way you look at Blackstar!" Nightwing snapped, her black fur bristling as she bared her teeth at the ShadowClan deputy. Whitepaw realized in that instant that Blackstar must be Smokepaw's father, and sympathy washed over her for the smoky gray tom. Although ShadowClan was trusted more than ever under Blackstar's reign, they had all heard tales of what had happened to Stonefur, Bluestar's son, at the Bonehill in the days of Tigerstar.

"You go on ahead with Brackenfur," Smokepaw mewed, frustration seeping into his voice. "I should make sure that Nightwing is all right."

"Are you sure?" Whitepaw meowed, dread suddenly clutching her heart like claws. She didn't want to have to climb the mountains by herself. Her fear vanished like mist on a sunny greenleaf morning as Smokepaw twined his tail with hers, pressing his muzzle to hers with warmth she would not have dreamed possible for a ShadowClan cat to display. The ThunderClan apprentice let out a soft purr, and Smokepaw echoed it.

"I'll catch up with you later," Smokepaw mewed softly, his breath ruffling her soft ear fur. He pulled away from her, and the crisp mountain air seeped into Whitepaw's thin ivory pelt again. The smoky gray tabby began to pad away from her, but he turned his head to look back at her. The look in his amber eyes said more than words ever could, and Whitepaw blinked at Smokepaw with affection in her green eyes, hoping he knew how much he meant to her.

"Carry the kits!" Blackstar's yowl sounded across the gorge, his voice somewhere from behind Whitepaw.

Whitepaw quickened her pace, hardly able to bear leaving Smokepaw behind her. She caught up with Brackenfur, padding alongside Sorreltail, their golden-brown and tortoiseshell pelts mingling. Brackenfur greeted her with a friendly nudge, and Whitepaw flicked him with her tail playfully. Dark thoughts clouded Whitepaw's mind; what was going to happen to her and Smokepaw when they returned home?

Suddenly, a terrified yowl sounded from behind them. The white apprenitce heard the sound of rocks tumbling, and Whitepaw craned her neck and saw a huge abyss where they had walked before. She thrust her way through the crowd of cats and almost toppled over the edge of the gaping hole. The ThunderClan apprentice saw a paw clutching the edge. A dark, smoky gray paw.

"Smokepaw!" She yowled in terror as Russetfur raced forwards to pull the ShadowClan apprentice back to saftey. Her weight dislodged more stones, and she leapt back just in time to save herself. A horrible wail of terror sounded from Smokepaw as he slipped. Whitepaw could only stare in horror as Smokepaw fell down, down, down, his body twisting over and over as he fell so far away from her that she couldn't see him.

"Smokepaw!" Nightwing cried, leaning precariously over the edge of the abyss, as if she could bring back her son by calling for him.

"Get back!" A flash of dark gray fur weaved through the cats on the other side of the precipice, pulling the black ShadowClan queen away from the edge. Blackstar peered over the edge, his black paws stained with his own dried blood.

"There's nothing we can do," The white ShadowClan leader mewed, straightening up. Sympathy flooded into his normally harsh voice as he mewed, "We have to keep going."

"You're going to leave him?" Nightwing wailed, echoing Whitepaw's own horror-filled thoughts. Smokepaw could not be dead...he was okay, he just took a hard fall.

"He won't have survived that fall. And we can't reach his body," Blackstar's green eyes glittered with sympathy. _No! _Whitepaw yowled in her head, still gazing, horror-struck, over the precipice. Icy wind buffeted her fur as the ShadowClan leader added, "I'm sorry, Nightwing. ShadowClan won't forget Smokepaw; I promise."

Whitepaw continued to gaze over the ledge, as if Smokepaw would suddenly appear beside her, his amber eyes glowing with warmth. But he did not return from the cliff, and deep inside her heart, she knew that he was gone. He would never leave her, if at all possible. Shock made her limbs numb as she padded over to stand beside her mother, Brightheart. The ginger-and-white she-cat was standing, rigid with shock, next to Cloudtail, Whitepaw's father, who licked her ears gently. Whitepaw buried her muzzle in her mother's fur, who rasped her tongue over her ears gently. She could almost pretend she was a kit in the nursery again, with no fear except losing her mother.

The terrible image of Smokepaw falling, twisting violently in the air as he succumbed to the darkness, filled Whitepaw's head, and she found she could not block it from her head. _Why did I let him go off on his own? _Guilt flooded over Whitepaw as she remembered, in one of their first days together on this journey, how Smokepaw had seemed to know that something bad would happen in the mountains.

Whitepaw padded away from her parents and sat a ways away, thinking of the ShadowClan apprentice who had meant so much to her. He was supposed to protect her, to look after her. He had promised that he wouldn't leave her...and he had. Grief clutched her heart like claws, a grief greater than she had experienced when Shrewpaw had died. Shrewpaw and her...their relationship was young, based on tiny feelings. But this feeling she had for Smokepaw was so much greater, and it grew stronger with every beat of her heart. As the other cats leapt over the gorge that had taken Smokepaw away from her, Whitepaw felt as if the gorge had left a hole in her own heart, instead of the path on which they were walking.

Gazing up at the stars, she saw one twinkle more brightly than the others. She felt warm fur brush against hers, and a soft purr echoed in her ears. Bewildered, Whitepaw looked up, wondering if one of her parents had come to comfort her. Perhaps they could tell that Smokepaw had meant more to her than she had realized in the short time they had spent together. But no other cats were even remotely close to her.

"You didn't leave me," Whitepaw murmured, gazing up at the bright sky. Whether it was StarClan she was looking at, or the Tribe of Endless Hunting, she knew one thing; Smokepaw had loved her too, and that he would keep his promise to look after her during this long tiring journey, even though it would be from the stars.

* * *

**A/N: Weird pairing, I know. R&R please!**


	2. AUTHOR'S NOTE!

**Hi guys!**

**First off, I wanted to thank you for all of your reviews and positive support! It really means a lot to me that you guys liked this fic so much, because I put a lot of time and effort into writing it! You know, making sure it was accurate with the books, making sure the timing between Whitepaw and Smokepaw didn't seem too rushed, tying in Shrewpaw's death and all of the other relationships going on at this stage in time.**

**Anyways, ****I think I'm going to write a story where Smokepaw doesn't fall off the cliff and makes it to the new home. It will be NOTHING like Moonstar of FireClan's story, Falling Smoke, (which by the way, I strongly recommend you read, it's an excellent fic). But I don't want to write it and put all my time into it if no one is going to read it.**

**Would anyone be interested in that? Review, PM me, let me know!**

**Thanks!  
The Twitcherz**


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